Getting To Know... Dan Fuson

Having spent the last year releasing a wave of fresh and uplifting indie-rock stompers, Nashville-based singer and songwriter Dan Fuson now returns with his latest banger 'Shallow Blue'.

While much of previous material saw him adopt a more pop-focused aesthetic, this new offering completely reinvents him as a truly anthemic songwriter and performer. With its pulsing beats and killer riffs, 'Shallow Blue' lands in the same vain as acts like Doves and Kodaline for its engaging and captivating sound.

So with his new single finally with us, we decided to sit down with him to find out more about his earliest beginning and what first made him become a musician.

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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

The guitar, absolutely. My brother had a friend who gave me one when I was in the 6th grade and I was taken with it pretty quickly. That was right when I started discovering new music and bands so having a guitar to learn some of the new stuff I was listening to was quite exciting.

What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?

Mostly my inspiration is just people! Some of my songs are autobiographical and some are written about fictional people or scenarios, but all of them have a bit of real life in them. Even if a song is about a fictional person or something, there are always tinges of something I or someone I know has experienced sprinkled throughout.

What kind of music did you love as a teenager?

I alternated a lot between listening to the pop-rock music of the day like Maroon 5 and John Mayer and hard rock/metal bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden. Those all really pushed me to keep picking up the guitar every day to try and emulate all of those bands. Plus, being a teenager in the mid 2000’s I was living in the golden age of pop-punk bands so Blink 182 and Fall Out Boy were never far from the stereo.

Can you remember the first song that made you want to pursue a life in music?

I wrote a song called 'Years' for my band in high school that people seemed to like and really made me feel more confident in my songwriting. Looking back I’ve evolved quite a bit as a songwriter but that was an important stepping stone to get to where I am now.

When you wake up in the morning, what kind of music do you like to listen to?

Depends on the day, honestly! A couple friends and I have a group where we exchange albums each week so I typically try and jumpstart my day with whatever artist we’re listening through at the moment. We’re currently going through some Van Morrison records and it happens to be a perfect morning vibe.

How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?

I would say most of them - but I’ll never tell the specifics! I typically like it better when songwriters don’t disclose too much about the meaning behind a song because I like to have my own interpretation as a listener.

What has been the most memorable moment in your career so far?

It’s hard to pick one, but honestly a fun recent one was when my newest single ‘Shallow Blue’ had its radio premiere on the Nashville station Lightning 100. I’ve listened to that station almost every day since I moved here four years ago so that was a big full circle moment for me.

Outside of music, what is your biggest passion?

Besides the obvious of friends and family, my passion lies in comic books. I’ve been reading and collecting comics since before I was even into music! Next time there’s a Spider-Man movie if someone can get me an audition to do the theme song that would be fantastic.

If you weren’t a musician, what other path do you think you might have taken?

If I had to do something different, I would probably be a teacher of some sort. I have a real passion for education and love working with kids so that would be a natural fit for me! I’m sure I would use the Jack Black/School of Rock teaching methods though, so who knows how long I would last teaching math skills with rock guitar.

And what advice would you give to other musicians looking to stay productive through the coronavirus lockdown?

Keep writing! This is a great time to explore ideas you may not have thought you had the time to before. There is so much great music coming out now, it’s not hard to be inspired and try and strive to do better. Just pick up a guitar and get going!

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Dan Fuson's new single 'Shallow Blue' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.